Fulham fell 1-0 to Southampton at Craven Cottage, as they exited the Emirates FA Cup in the 3rd round.

James Ward-Prowse got the game’s only goal in the 29th minute after he finished from close range.

Slaviša Jokanović made five changes to the side that beat Ipswich in the League, bringing David Button in for Marcus Bettinelli and drafting Tomas Kalas back into the side to resume his centre-back partnership with Tim Ream. McDonald came in to the anchor the midfield and wear the armband in place of Tom Cairney. Rui Fonte spearheaded the attack, and Lucas Piazon—in a heartening moment—returned for the full 90 minutes for the first time since his horrific injury at Elland Road.

The weather at kickoff was chilly and clear, and the temperature dropped as the game progressed, with the cold blowing in from the banks of the Thames.

The first five minutes were quiet, with neither team particularly asserting themselves after the busy holiday period.

In the tenth minute Shane Long had the ball in the back of the net for the away side, but the linesman raised his flag for offside immediately.

That decision seemed to spark both sides into life, and for the next few minutes tackles were flying in throughout the midfield, with Oliver Norwood and Oriol Romeu getting especially stuck in.

In the 14th minute Fulham came close to breaking the deadlock. Stefan Johansen chipped a lovely ball over the Saints’ defence to play in Ryan Sessegnon, and the teenager masterfully brought the ball under control with two acrobatic touches. Finding his path blocked, Sessegnon laid off a neat pass to Piazon, whose shot was again charged down.

It was Sessegnon who was responsible for most of Fulham’s momentum, as Jan Bednarek had trouble tracking his overlapping runs. Several times the 17-year old would gallop along the left touchline, body-swerving his way past several Southampton defenders to make his way into the box. By the 20th minute however, Southampton were alert to the danger and often stuck two men on the England Youth International in an attempt to quiet him down.

Still, the Premier League side couldn’t fully contain Sessegnon’s coltish runs, and in the 28th minute he won a corner for Fulham. Oliver Norwood swung in a great cross, but Jack Stephens was able to head it clear just as several Whites players were rushing in.

One minute later Southampton found themselves ahead. A long ball caused confusion in the Fulham box and a muffled clearance pinballed to Ward-Prowse, who slammed it home to put the visitors 1-0 up in the 29th minute.

The goal energised the Saints, who—with the away supporters now in full voice—rattled off a series of corners in the 34th minute. Each of them came to nothing, with Ream and Kalas taking turns to confidently head clear.

Fulham started to apply concentrated pressure near the end of the half though, and in the 44th minute camped out on the edge of the Saints box, hunting for an equaliser. Sessegnon, Fonte, and Piazon all had swipes at the ball, but the box was too clogged with Southampton bodies to get a clean look on goal.

Then, in first-half stoppage time, Fulham came close to restoring parity through Ream. A recycled corner was swung in to the box and the American rose powerfully to meet it. Unfortunately for the home team, his header sailed just over Alex McCarthy’s bar. Moments later Michael Oliver blew for half-time and the two sides went into the tunnel with very different objectives for the remaining 45.

The second-half started brightly, with the Whites coming out full of energy and exuberance as darkness fell over Southwest London. Perhaps guilty of too much exuberance, McDonald received a yellow card in the 50th minute for a late sliding challenge on Long.

Then, in the 53rd minute, Button made a crucial stop to keep the score at 1-0. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was slipped into the box after a rapid break from the visitors and got a low shot off from five yards. It looked to be a good effort, but an alert Button did well to get down and block the drive with his legs.

Seeking more of an offensive spark, Jokanović made the game’s first substitution in the 56th minute. The Head Coach brought Neeskens Kebano on for McDonald.

The change did seem to invigorate the Whites, who were now probing the Southampton backline with more urgency. In the 60th minute Fulham again came close. Johansen and Norwood played a tidy one-two in Saints’ box, but the Norwegian was only able to drill his shot straight at McCarthy.

The game was now getting stretched, which seemed to favour the Whites. In the 65th minute, the home side again had everything but the final touch. Fonte flicked on Kebano’s cross, which just needed the slightest prod, but Yoshida hacked the ball clear before any Fulham player could follow up.

One minute later Jokanović made his second attacking substitution of the match, bringing Sheyi Ojo on for Kalas.

Mauricio Pellegrino responded with a substitution of his own, replacing Sofiane Boufal with Nathan Redmond in the 70th minute.

Two minutes later the Saints received their first booking of the game after Bednarek saw yellow for clattering through the back of Kebano.

Southampton then came close to getting their second of the match when Stephens’ close-range header thundered off the underside of Button’s bar. It was a matter of inches, but Fulham were able to eventually scramble it away to safety.

Jokanović, still pushing his team onward, then made his final substitution in the 75th minute, swapping Fonte for Aboubakar Kamara.

Second’s later Fulham almost had the equaliser they so craved. McCarthy spilled Norwood’s cross and the ball fell directly to Denis Odoi. The Belgian hooked his shoot just inches over the bar.

Pellegrino, looking to solidify, then made his second change in the 80th minute, bringing Mario Lemina on in place of Hojbjerg. Then, in the 86th minute, he made his final substitution, replacing the goal-scorer Long with Manolo Gabbiadini.

Fulham pressed and pressed for an equaliser in the final ten minutes, but they just couldn’t find that one moment of quality they needed. Norwood came close to scoring near the end, but his 89th-minute diving header flew wide of the post. It was a fitting end to the match, a contest in which Fulham exhibited lots of fight and endeavour, but just weren’t able to transform those positive qualities into a goal.